Berkeley Public Library branch hours to be extended

The South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library will add additional hours in December, as will other branch libraries. Photo: Richard Friedman

The hours of Berkeley’s branch libraries will be extended later this fall, now that construction on all four is almost complete.

Starting Dec. 2, the North, Claremont, and South branches will be open four hours longer each week, according to library officials. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Currently, the branch libraries are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday.

When construction on the new West Branch is completed in December, it, too, will be open the longer hours.

BOLT, the Board of Library Trustees, has long wanted to extend the hours, according to a press release. Now that the branch construction is almost completed, it will happen.

“We are happy to be able to provide expanded access to our beautiful new branches,” said Donna Corbeil, Library Director, in the press release. “We hope lots of our cardholders will take advantage of our new Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning hours.”